Authentic bliss energizes movement into soul and true devotion to self and appropriate others just as lightning streaks across desert sky, yogic Shakti energy healthily enlivening the human personality!
There is a certain feeling about healthy people that is unmistakable, one of energy, vitality, and a sincere desire to live this moment to the full. With this comes a rejuvenating presence that others pick up on and acts to imbue them as well with well being and the experience of just having been in the presence of a life giving person. We don’t live to give our energy out indiscriminately to others, but when it happens as a matter of course in the daily mutuality of relationships then it is indeed inspired and wholesome for us and those with whom we relate.
Energy, ancient spiritual manuscripts teach us, moves up the spine and enlightens the mind. Powerful flows of insight and life changing revelation accompany an individual who cultivates vitality and well being. Tapping into the pulse and surge of life daily infuses us with psychological empowerment from ancient, archetypal sources. When we experience such an energetic inflow containment and direction are critical, otherwise we can simply be swept up and into unproductive manic flights. Energy going everywhere at once is not productive or creative. Possession psychologically by the Shakti energy leads to blissed out unproductive folks who are so heavenly they are no earthly good, at least temporarily.
But, when we get a hold of ourselves and feel the energy of nature, life, and the way of all things coursing through us, contain and direct it, then authenticity is revealed, lightning streaks across the psychic sky, and our very human character and personality is enlivened!

Yogis equate ascent into ecstatic realms with rendering themselves invisible via contemplation, a grounding descent into self that births bliss! Yet, the human psyche often has to contemplate more than bliss especially when it has been traumatized. When there is trauma, the impulse to give up on self, others, and life can also be present. The pull to despair can be confusing since it feels as if there is no return to sanity or life; but, this can be a good thing if the sufferer takes the time to contemplate, to reflect and realize that this is actually a message from the unconscious that there can be no return to negative and demeaning attitudes and relationships if one truly desires life and well being.
From having treated individuals who suffer in this way, I recognize that there is often a history of unresolved childhood pain that translates into present day dysfunction with self and relationships. Self loathing in the form of depression, anxiety, and destructive behaviors can then pop out like a nightmare jack-in-the-box. The human psyche, however, has within it the capacity to transform destructive impulses into powerful insights.
When inner reflection and contemplation lead to the furtherance of understanding regarding self and others then substantial life changes take hold and suffering becomes purposeful. Thus, symptoms are messengers, the psyche crying out to be listened to so that change and healing can ensue.
So, as the shamans and yogis of old taught, descent into psychic depths carries with it the potential for ascent into transformation and bliss.

Last night’s television interview of Howard Stern on Pearce Morgan CNN ushered trickster energy up from the collective psyche into mainstream thought, a reminder of the pure delight that comes from having our mind blown daily! Mind blowing happenings pop the top of our heads off as we encounter new ideas, intriguing people, and life changing events that alter our perspective and offer us the chance to change and grow out of deep seated ruts. Slamming on the emotional breaks can occur at this point since change, real and meaningful alterations in relationships or situations rocks our conscious world. We say we want new things, ideas, better relationships; but, when we actually get down to it, the status quo can prove enticing if not seductive. In dreams and dreaming the car manifests as a symbol of where we are at a given time. If it’s slow and beat up or new and running well it tells us about ourselves, where we are and how we are doing. And, at times, the car can take us by surprise and usher us to places surprising and mind blowing. Samuel, a middle-aged banker, related a dream of the Mad Hatter driving him up steep terrain into a magical realm in which he was very uncomfortable. This led to Samuel’s realization that life had become stagnant and his dream was leading him to discover the magic of life with none other than a major trickster, the Mad Hatter himself, driving him onwards. Such is our psyche’s way of getting on with things, of making sure as much as possible that our conscious mind cooperates with this natural process, and helping us to keep on keeping on even as our mind is blown and we are driven through one transforming life experience after another.

When we’re on track in life, we can feel the relativity of space, time, the underworld, and the wonder of each moment’s bliss! But, bliss can be frightening. It causes folks to fear losing it and then have to return to common everyday misery. Once we realize that we don’t have bliss, that bliss has us, then we are better able to rest in it and cultivate it. In this, we can come to experience the reality of the underworld, dimensions of dreams and intuitions, generating bliss as we face the dark elements within self, relationships, and life. We are then able to negotiate our way through life in a creative, nurturing, manner. Despite the fact that facing destructive facets of self or others is painful, something we would rather shun, it is also necessary since turning our back and running from psychological realities does nothing but worsen an already bad situation. Embracing truth, on the other hand, leads to eventual relief as the mind is unloaded from guilt and fear and is then free to embrace the true nature of self and life. Dreams assist us in embracing truth as in the image of the black dung beetle which is sometimes anthropomorphized in dreams as a man with a scarab beetle head, wings outspread. In such dreams, the scarab is sometimes pushing the dung ball, symbolically representing the psychic nutrients found in life crises that nurture the growth of the soul. Thus, the most repulsive of life events has the potential to propel an awakening of consciousness, something that takes place in the unconscious, outside of time and space, and then makes its way into conscious reality often accompanied by a an exquisite sense of bliss.